How To Fold Laundry Properly

Learning how to fold laundry properly is not as difficult as some might think. Clothing is sewed together in such a way as to make folding them easier, actually, and once you learn this you will become a laundry folding pro. The following tips should help you learn how to fold laundry properly, and once you have mastered them you will likely be folding laundry faster and more efficiently than ever.

1. To fold laundry consisting of jeans or slacks, you have two main options. First, you can lay them flat with the zipper centered in the front. Fold them in half, matching up the legs and pulling the crotch seem outward so they will lay flat again. Next, fold in half by bringing the waist down to the hem or ankle of the jeans. Repeat this type of fold so they rest neatly in a semi-square shape. You can also skip the last fold and instead place on a hanger.
2. To fold laundry consisting of T-shirts, make sure the shirt is right-side out and grab at the shoulder seams. Shake a little to make all the side seams line up nicely then lay flat. Bring the two sleeves together, match the edges of the sleeves, the should seams, and the bottom outer corners. The neck and bottom of the shirt should look folded in half, and it should lay flat nicely. Fold the short sleeves back, to one side, and lay them over the shirt, making the shirt now have two straight sides. Fold in half by bringing the collar to the bottom hem, and then in half again. It should have a semi-square shape.
3. Folding laundry consisting of long-sleeve button-down shirts, it is best to shake them out and hang them up. You can iron them first to make getting dressed easier later on.  
4. Folding long-sleeve jersey-type shirts, fold as you did the T-shirts, except when you fold the sleeves back, over the shirt on one side, they will be too long. Fold them in half again, laying over themselves, so the shirt has two smooth straight edges and the sleeves will then be folded up inside the rest of the shirt when you complete the remaining two folds.
5. For a laundry wash load of socks, it is best to lay them all out and match pairs. The you can simply fold in half and lay flat, or you can fold the cuff of one sock over the pair, more or less bounding them together.
6. For folding boxer shorts, lay flat as you did with the jeans, matching the sides and the opening is centered in the front. Fold in half by bringing one corner of the waist to the other side, and lay flat. Now fold the top waistband down to meet the bottom edges. This folding also works for boxer-briefs.
7. Folding typical briefs, you can lay flat, fold only in half, or fold in quarters. Some like to bring the lower crotch up to meet the waistband, then fold the two outer sides in, overlapping slightly in the center. Others simply throw them in a drawer.
8. Folding laundry made up of towels, which are a nice easy shape, match the two shorter ends together and lay flat. Fold in half again in this direction, matching the folded edge to the outer edges from the first fold. Now, fold in the other direction, but fold in thirds, overlapping the two sides in the center.

It can be helpful, when folding laundry, to pull the clothing from the dryer and place on a large surface such as a clean table or bed, which allows you to separate the types of clothing in the laundry and fold faster and easier.